| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mrs. Surraya Ashraf
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a solicitor, based in Bradford, visiting Pakistan asked officials at the United Kingdom post in Islamabad to review the refusal of an application by Mrs. Surraya Ashraf and her daughter Miss Noreen Akhtar, ref. GV100/24649, to enter the United Kingdom; when the request to review the application was agreed; what was the outcome of the review; when was that information sent to the solicitor; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry: I have asked the entry clearance officer to let me have a report on the applications by Mrs. Surraya Ashraf and her daughter, Miss Noreen Akhtar. I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a substantive reply from the migration and visa correspondence unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as soon as possible.
Entry Clearance
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to be able
Column 492
to reply to the questions asked by the hon. Member for Nottingham, North on 18 July 1994, Official Report , column 28 , on entry clearance applications and appeals.Mr. Baldry: The answer to the hon. Member's question of 18 July 1994, was conveyed, in full, in a letter to him from me on 13 September. Arrangements were also made for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library.
Regrettably, the answer to the hon. Member's other question of 18 July has not been answered in full. I am therefore taking this opportunity to ask posts to update their final returns and will give the hon. Member the answer he seeks as soon as possible.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the total number of applicants at the British embassy in Addis Ababa for permission to travel to Britain by nationality, waiting time for interviews and decisions for each of the past five years.
Mr. Baldry: I have asked the entry clearance officer in Addis Ababa to let me have a report. I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a substantive reply from the migration and visa correspondence unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth office as soon as possible
Western Sahara
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action has been taken by his Department to further progress on the United Nations referendum on the future of the Western Sahara.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: As a member of the UN Security Council group of Friends of the Western Sahara, we have supported the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to bring about a resolution of the conflict in the Western Sahara. We have helped to broker various Security Council resolutions on the subject. Until September 1993, the United Kingdom contributed military personnel to the mission for a referendum in the Western Sahara.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries to which asylum seekers are forcibly returned British embassy officials meet them on arrival or monitor their return.
Mr. Baldry: None other than Vietnam where our embassy both meets on arrival and monitors repatriated Vietnamese migrants from Hong Kong who have been screened out as non-refugees.
Kurdistan
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings and discussions have been held with the PUK, KDP and Kurdish national parliament in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the internal conflict in Kurdistan.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We have sent messages to the leaders of the Iraqi Kurd political parties involved in the recent fighting urging them to reach an early and lasting settlement.
We understand that the parties have indicated a willingness to seek peace through the auspices of the Iraqi National Congress. We fully support those efforts, not
Column 493
least because the only beneficiary from violence in northern Iraq is Saddam Hussein.Iran
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations on human rights issues have been made to the Government of Iran; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: The European Union sponsored a strong human rights resolution on Iran which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 23 December 1994. The Union also raised human rights issues in recent discussions with Iran.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the main functions of the charge d'affaires in Tehran; and what proportion of his time is spent on visa applications.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Our charge d'affaires in Tehran, as head of mission, has a wide range of responsibilities which include political, representational, commercial and management functions. He supervises all embassy work including consular and visa matters.
East Timor
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Indonesian Government concerning the action of their army in East Timor.
Mr. Goodlad: The European Union expressed concern in July and November 1994 about heightened tension in East Timor. The UN Secretary- General made an appeal on 9 January 1995 to East Timorese of all shades of opinion to exercise restraint. We look to the Indonesian Government to act similarly.
Sierra Leone
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts at preventive diplomacy are being made by (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the UN, (c) the European Union and (d) the Organisation of African Unity, in respect of the internal security situation in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Baldry: We are very concerned at the recent deterioration in the security situation which had led to the abduction of a number of Sierra Leonean and foreign nationals, including six Britons. We are following developments closely and have reinforced our high commission in Freetown with experienced hostage negotiators. We are in touch with the Sierra Leone Government and our Commonwealth, EU and other partners in the region. We have also given strong encouragement to the UN Secretary-General's proposals to send a special representative. We hope it may be possible to bring about a peaceful solution in Sierra Leone and we are ready to contribute in any way we can to resolve the present difficulties.
Ivory Coast
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring of the safety of deportees from Britain is undertaken in the Ivory Coast; and if he will make a statement.
Column 494
Mr. Baldry: We have no mechanism to monitor what happens to deportees from Britain returning to Cote d'Ivoire.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the human rights situation in the Ivory Coast; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to his question of 10 January 1995, Official Report, column 59.
Liberia
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the activities of the west African peacekeeping forces in Liberia; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry: We have received reports from many sources on west African peacekeeping activities in Liberia.
We continue to follow developments closely. We welcome and support the efforts of regional leaders and the United Nations to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict in Liberia.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts Her Majesty's Government have had with representatives of different factions in Liberia in the past year.
Mr. Baldry: Our diplomatic missions in the region monitor developments in Liberia and have been contacted by representatives of most of the factions at some time.
EDUCATION
Emotionally Disturbed Children
Mrs. Golding: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will outline his policy for dealing with emotionally disturbed children within the education system.
Mr. Forth: Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, the term usually applied to children and young people whose symptoms lie between those associated with stressed but normal behaviour and those associated with psychiatric illness, have special educational needs. It is for schools and local education authorities to see that their needs are assessed and suitably met along with those of other children with learning difficulties. The code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs provides targeted advice and this is expanded in the joint Department for Education-Department of Health circular "The Education of Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties", DFE ref: 9/94, both documents being available in the Library. They point up the vital importance of close collaboration between services. The Office for Standards in Education continue to monitor the quality of the education provided for this group of children.
Mrs. Golding: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many institutions there are who deal with the education of emotionally disturbed children; and how many there were in each of the last 10 years.
Column 495
Mr. Forth: Time series data are not available centrally, but recent returns from schools suggest that about 380 maintained and non-maintained special schools and independent schools would describe themselves as making special provision for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. In addition, all mainstream schools are required to identify and where appropriate make suitable provision for individual pupils who fall within this category, following the guidance in the code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs. Further provision is made within pupil referral units in most local education authorities.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children from the borough of Rotherham receive assisted places at independent schools.
Mr. Robin Squire: Information about the local education authority area from which assisted pupils originate is not collected centrally. There are no schools participating in the scheme within the borough of Rotherham.
Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many assisted places have been awarded in the current academic year to pupils attending former direct grant schools.
Mr. Robin Squire: Figures are not yet available for the current academic year. In academic year 1993 94, 17,445 such pupils held assisted places.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of pupils with assisted places comes from households where the parents are in full-time salaried or waged employment paying pay-as-you- earn tax.
Mr. Robin Squire: Information concerning the occupations and tax position of parents in the assisted places scheme is not collected centrally.
Disabled People
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the departments and agencies for which she has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document, "Focus on Ability".
Mr. Forth: The number of registered disabled people employed by the Department and the Teachers Pensions Agency is 60, representing 2.9 per cent. of the total. Figures for the number of all disabled people employed by the Department and the Teachers Pensions Agency are not currently available.
Special Needs
Mr. Butcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were statemented in each year from 1965 to 1980 inclusive.
Mr. Forth: The arrangements for issuing statements of special educational needs were introduced under the Education Act 1981. In England, the number of pupils newly assessed as requiring special educational treatment in calendar years 1977 to 1980 inclusive were 23,210;
Column 496
22,972; 21,570 and 22,243 respectively. Information for England is not available for earlier years.Standard Spending Assessment, Devon
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the percentage change between the proposed education standard spending assessment for 1995 96 and the comparable figure for 1994 95 for Devon county council.
Mr. Robin Squire: The proposed education standard spending assessment for 1995 96 for Devon is 2.2 per cent. higher than the comparable figure for 1994 95.
Direct Grant Schools
Mr. Walden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many former direct grant schools are now independent schools.
Mr. Robin Squire: There are 120 registered independent schools which were formerly direct grant grammar schools.
Student Loans Company
Mr. Bryan Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what was the estimated cost of the development of computer systems for the fast-track applications system introduced by the Student Loans Company;
(2) what remuneration has been received by the assessor of the Student Loans Company in each year of the existence of the position; (3) what was the expenditure by the Student Loans Company on computer systems development in each of the last two financial years for which figures are available; and to what specific purposes this expenditure was directed.
Mr. Boswell: These matters are for the Student Loans Company. I have asked the acting chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Student Loans
Mr. Bryan Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in London she expects to be in receipt of the new rate of loan for those who could conveniently live at home in 1995 96.
Mr. Boswell: The new rate of loan will apply from the academic year 1995 96 to students studying in London and living away from home whose grant is limited to the "parental home" rate of grant because their local education authority judges that they could conveniently live at home. Information is not collected centrally about the number of students in respect of whom LEAs have exercised this discretion.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list for each year since January 1991 for the grant-maintained secondary school sector (a) the number of full-time equivalent pupils, (b) full-time equivalent qualified teachers and (c) the pupil-to-teacher ratio.
Mr. Robin Squire: The information requested is shown in the table.
Column 497
Pupil: teacher ratios in grant-maintained secondary schools in
England 1991-94 Position in January each year
|Full-time
|Full-time |equivalent
|equivalent |qualified |Pupil teacher
|pupils |teachers |ratio
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |36,400 |2,390 |15:3
1992 |105,800 |6,690 |15:8
1993 |221,400 |13,780 |16:1
1994 |485,300 |29,800 |16:3
Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list those grant-maintained schools in Liverpool that have received loans from the Funding Agency for Schools; and whether these loans have been repaid or renewed.
Mr. Robin Squire: Information relating to loans made to grant maintained schools is held by the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member.
Free School Meals
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what statutory or discretionary provision exists for the provision of free school meals to pupils under the age of 19 years whose parents are in receipt of income support
Column 498
in (a) incorporated colleges of further education and (b) incorporated sixth form colleges.Mr. Forth: Provision of this nature is encompassed within discretionary awards and access funds which are administered by local education authorities and FE colleges respectively. The rate of grant payable to students and the method of assessment are for the authority to determine. FE colleges decide which students who are suffering hardship they will support from access funds.
SCOTLAND
Departmental Employees
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many employees for which his Department is responsible were women (a) in 1991, (b) in 1992, (c) in 1993 and (d) in 1994; and of these, how many were (i) at grade 7 level, (ii) at grade 3 level, (iii) at executive officer level, (iv) at administrative officer level and (v) at administrative assistant level.
Mr. Lang: The numbers of women employed in the Scottish Office, its executive agencies, excluding the Scottish Prison Service, and associated departments at 1 April in the years from 1991 to 1994 and those at grade 7, grade 3, executive officer, administrative officer and administrative assistant levels were as follows:
Column 497
m
Grade equivalent 1991 1992 1993 1994
|(FTE) |(FTE) |(FTE) |(Headcount)|(FTE) |(Headcount)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 3 |2.0 |3.5 |3.5 |4 |3.5 |4
Grade 7 |55.5 |61.5 |73.0 |80 |74.0 |87
Executive officer |521.5 |472.5 |482.5 |500 |471.5 |499
Administrative officer |932.5 |926.0 |883.5 |943 |848.0 |924
Administrative assistant |859.0 |830.0 |829.0 |880 |817.5 |862
Total women |2,689.5 |2,623.5 |2.627.0 |2,792 |2,595.0 |2,774
Arable Aid Payments
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hectares of land established as grassland or soft or bush fruit during the years 1987 to 1991 which were initially ineligible for arable aid payments were subsequently deemed eligible by the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department after farmers had submitted completed HCAP 009.114 forms.
Sir Hector Monro: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Lockerbie
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Crown Office was first informed by the United States authorities of the possible involvement of Ayatollah Mohtashami in the Lockerbie bombing as suggested in the US Air Force Intelligence Agency de-classified documents; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang: The Crown Office was aware of allegations of involvement of the former Iranian Interior Minister in the Lockerbie bombing at an early stage of the investigation. The allegations were examined by the competent authorities but no evidence has so far been found to substantiate them.
Column 498
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence the United States legal authorities gave to the Crown Office to support the indictment of Libyan suspects in connection with the Lockerbie bombing; when the evidence was received; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang: The Lockerbie investigation was carried out in close co- operation with the United States authorities. Criminal proceedings are pending and it would be improper to give details of evidence in the case.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date the Crown Office first learned of the existence of the de-classified US Air Force Intelligence Agency files which refer to the bombing of the Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang: The Crown Office first learned of the existence of this report from a press enquiry on 23 January 1995.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date the Crown Office received a copy of the de-classified United States Air Force Intelligence Agency files which refer to the bombing of the Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie; and if he will make a statement.
Column 499
Mr. Lang: The Crown Office received a copy of the report on 24 January 1995.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date the Crown Office was first informed of the contents of the de-classified United States Air Force Intelligence Agency files which refer to the bombing of the Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang: The Crown Office was first informed of the contents of the report on 23 January 1995 but was already well aware of allegations which are set out in that document.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the dates of the meetings which have been held between the Crown Office and the United States Air Force Intelligence Agency to discuss the contents of United States Air Force Intelligence Agency de-classified files which refer to the bombing of the Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie, the names of the individuals present and in what capacity they attended; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang: No such meetings have been held.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the dates of the telephone discussions which have been held between the Crown Office and the United States Air Force Intelligence Agency to discuss the contents of United States Air Force Intelligence Agency de- classified files which refer to the bombing of the Pan Am 103 at Lockerbie; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang: No such discussions have taken place.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish details of delegations involving United States law officers and representatives of US Air Force Intelligence Agency to the United Kingdom to discuss the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, the meetings they attended and the matters discussed.
Mr. Lang: No delegations involving United States Air Force Intelligence Agency representatives have taken part in discussions in the United Kingdom concerning the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing. United States law enforcement officers, based in the United States and in the United Kingdom, have met Scottish police and prosecution authorities frequently during the Lockerbie investigation and a liaison officer of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation was based at Lockerbie during much of the most active period of the Lockerbie investigation. The discussions of such officers were confidential.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish details of trips involving representatives of the Crown Office to the United States of America as part of the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, the meetings they attended and the matters discussed.
Mr. Lang: Representatives of the Crown Office have visited the United States on a number of occasions for confidential discussions concerning the Lockerbie investigation, which was carried out in close co- operation with the United States authorities. It would be inappropriate to give details of these meetings and discussions.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment the Crown Office has made of the relevance of the de-classified US Air Force
Column 500
Intelligence Agency documents for the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Lang: The report quotes an untried source relying on "second and third party information" as stating that the former Iranian Interior Minister paid $10 million to have the Lockerbie bombing carried out. It contains no evidence to substantiate a story which was already well known and has not so far been otherwise substantiated. It has, accordingly, no present relevance to the investigation.
Instruments of Torture
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assurances are sought from United Kingdom companies active in the manufacture, marketing and supply of (a) electro-shock weapons and (b) instruments of torture that such assistance as is given to them will not be used to facilitate trade in and support the marketing of electro-shock weapons.
Mr. Stewart: In considering applications for licenses for the export of such equipment the DTI, together with advisers in other Government Departments, take special care and consider very carefully the political and military implications of allowing consignments to go overseas. Particular attention is paid to proposed exports to countries with poor human rights records, where the equipment might be used for internal repression.
I understand that ICL Technical Plastics has now confirmed that its company's export records show that no such equipment was ever sold or export licenses sought or approved by the DTI.
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received on the manufacture, marketing and supply of (a) electro-shock weapons and (b) instruments of torture; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart: My Department has received a small number of letters from members of the public on this matter.
| Next Section
| Home Page |